When you crave chocolate or peanut butter, you typically have two choices buy a baked good from the store or start putting something together on your own. If you aren’t the best baker, don’t want to heat your home up, or would not rather spend all that time, baking something might be out of the question. No bake chocolate oat bars alleviate all these problems.
You get the decadent tastes of chocolate and peanut butter together, and you don’t want to turn on the oven. You don’t have to wait for the designated time for the cookie bars to your chocolate oatmeal treats to heat up and then cool down a bit, either.
Plus, because of the basic ingredients of these, you can alter them to match your preferences. You can even make them healthier by adding nuts or dried fruit.
Overall, they’re simple to make to. The instructions are easy to follow, and you don’t have to follow a strict protocol for your chocolate peanut butter bars to turn out.
These no bake cookies are also ones you can make on a whim. You don’t need to stress if you forgot to take out butter or leave your eggs sit out until they reach room temperature.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make overall
- Can be customized to your preference
- Can be made to include more nutrients
- Doesn’t require the oven
- Are a quick dessert to make, doesn’t require prep
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
When it comes to making these cookie bars, you can ultimately put in ingredients that suit you and your family’s tastes. And you can even make them slightly different each time you make them.
For instance, if you’re craving a little tartness, you could always add dried fruit like cranberries. Adding nuts to this recipe can give it some added protein, crunch, and earthy flavor. If you don’t like dark chocolate, you could easily substitute it for milk or white chocolate.
The peanut butter isn’t a necessity in these recipe, so if you or anyone in your family is allergic to nuts, you can omit it. You can choose to nut in sunflower seed, soy nut, or pumpkin seed butter. Each one gives these no bake bars a different taste.
Besides adding the chocolate on top, you could also put caramel on. Not only would this elevate the level of sweetness, but it would also give it an even richer, deeper flavor.
If you want a different flavor than the peanut butter and have nobody in the family allergic to nuts, switch up this ingredient for either almond or cashew butter.
How to Make It
Since you’re not baking these, these aren’t hard to make. You don’t have specific requirements to follow to ensure they rise, nor do you have to worry about them having just the right amount of crisp around the edges.
The recipe calls for you to freeze these. Therefore, make sure you have enough room in your freezer to make these. If not, you may need to shuffle items around or wait.
To begin making them, you add butter and chocolate to a pan. Make sure you stay near the pan and watch the mixture to prevent it from burning, sticking, or developing lumps. You’ll need to stir it several times to keep the chocolate at an even consistency.
As you’re laying your oats and any other ingredients you plan to include down, make this layer as flat and even. The bars will ultimately look better at the end when you do this.
Tips for Success
Whenever you’re making these bars, mix the oats and any other ingredients together well so you get bites of everything as you’re eating them. If not, you may find you’re eating too many nuts or pieces of dried fruit at once.
You technically could use old fashioned rolled oats in this recipe, but they won’t turn out as well. They won’t be soften enough in the end.
Storage & Reheating
If you want a warm cookie bar at the end, despite the fact you didn’t bake these, heat them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. The chocolate and peanut butter will melt, so they’ll be messy.
After you make these, you can leave them in the fridge for about a week. Make sure they’re in a zip-close bag or airtight container.
If you don’t eat them all, you could freeze them for up to three months in an airtight container or freezer bag. If you go this route, put down parchment paper between layers so they don’t stick together they they’re defrosting.
Serving Suggestions
These can be a treat for inside your child’s lunch for school, so they could easily pair well with a ham and cheese sandwich. If you’re making them at home, there’s nothing to stop you from having them alongside a philly cheesesteak quesadilla or a taco grilled cheese.
If you’re only having them for a snack or treat, consider busting the cookie bar up over top of a scoop or two of ice cream.
FAQs
1. How do your no bake cookies stay together if you don’t bake them?
These cookie bars have binders in them that help them stay together.
2. What ingredients do I need for no bake cookies?
Fortunately, since you don’t need baking powder, egg, or other similar ingredients, you have a lot of flexibility. These particular ones call for oats and anything else you add is your choice.
3. Do I have to refrigerate no bake cookie bars?
You don’t have to refrigerate them because they don’t have anything in them that would spoil.
Notes
When my family tells me they’re craving chocolate or peanut butter and I don’t have it in me to bake, these are what I whip. My husband has taken them to work several times and shared them with his team. Everyone has raved about how good they are, especially when I switch up the ingredients a bit each time.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
The Oat Base:
- 3 cups Quick Oats Quick oats provide a better “bond” than old-fashioned for no-bake bars
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter
- ½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup Honey adds a natural floral sweetness and improves chewiness
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
The Chocolate Topping:
- 1 ½ cups Dark Chocolate Chips 60% cacao or higher
- 2 Tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter helps keep the chocolate layer soft enough to slice without cracking
- ½ tsp Flaky Sea Salt for finishing
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, honey, and peanut butter over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is fully melted and just starts to bubble. Let it simmer for exactly 1 minute to develop a slight caramel flavor.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Add the quick oats to the saucepan. Stir until every oat is coated in the warm peanut butter mixture. The residual heat “blooms” the oats, giving them a slightly toasted flavor without needing an oven.
- Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Firmly press the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it down—a tighter pack ensures the bars won’t crumble when cut.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the dark chocolate chips and the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the oat base and spread it to the edges with a spatula.
- Let the bars sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the flaky sea salt over the top. Adding the salt while the chocolate is slightly set prevents it from sinking.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire block out of the pan. Slice into squares using a warm knife.
